1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to novelty darts and similar projectiles that are tipped with a suction cup. More particularly, the present invention relates to the structure of such novelty darts and the materials used in the formation of the suction cup.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Rubber suction cups were first used on the tip of projectile toys at the beginning of the 20th century. Toy darts and toy arrows tipped with a suction cup have unique advantages. A dart tipped with a suction cup is relatively safe, being unlikely to cause damage to any person or object it strikes. The suction cup acts as a large blunt rubber tip. However, unlike other blunt tip configurations, a toy dart or arrow with a suction cup has the ability to stick to a smooth flat surface. Darts and arrows with suction cup tips, therefore, have more play value than similar toy darts and arrows that have simple blunt tips.
In early toys, suction cups were structures of rubber having a concave face. In later years, synthetic rubber and other elastomeric materials, such as silicone, were used. When the face of the suction cup struck a hard, flat object, the concave face of the suction cup would partially flatten and the rubber would seal against the impacted surface. The pressure inside the suction cup would, therefore, be lower than the air pressure surrounding the suction cup and the suction cup would adhere to the impacted surface. As air leaked back into the suction cup, it would detach from the impacted surface.
Traditional suction cups made from elastomeric materials work well if they squarely impact a hard, flat surface, such as a window pain or the metal door of a refrigerator. However, traditional suction cups work very poorly on semi-smooth surfaces such as painted walls and rough surfaces, such as concrete walls. When a traditional suction cup impacts a non-smooth surface, such as a painted wall, the elastomeric material cannot create an air tight seal around the perimeter of the suction cup. Therefore, the suction cup either fails to adhere to the surface or only adheres for a second or two before falling away.
In order to make traditional suction cups more effective on semi-smooth surfaces, children often wet the suction cup. However, wet suction cups quickly become dirty as the moisture on the suction cup attracts dirt and grime. Dirty suction cups then create circular stains on impacted surfaces, such as ceilings and walls. This common scenario has caused suction cup toys to lose favor with many parents who want to keep the surfaces of their home stain free.
In modern toy design, some projectiles are made completely out of foam. Such projectiles are commonly used by Hasbro, Inc, of Rhode Island in their Nerf® line of toys. Foam projectiles are extremely lightweight and are therefore very unlikely to cause injury. However, due to their light weight, such prior art foam projectiles do not travel far. Furthermore, prior art projectiles that have suction cups made of foam use a completely closed cell foam. Closed cell foams were believed to be the only type of foam that could be used in forming a suction cup because it is the only foam that is air impervious and capable of maintaining suction.
The main disadvantage of using a closed cell foam is that such foams tend to be stiff. Suction cups made of such foams, therefore do not deform much on impact and thus create poor surface seals. Consequently, projectiles with foam suction cups rarely adhere to any surface, unless the surface is ultra-smooth, such as a sheet of glass.
A need therefore exists for a suction cup configuration that is safe when impacting a child, yet is capable of adhering to semi-smooth and rough surfaces, such as walls, without having to be wet. This need is met by the present invention as described and claimed below.